Colgate vs Illinois Odds
| Colgate Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16 -110 | 145 -110o / -110u | OFF |
| Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16 -110 | 145 -110o / -110u | OFF |
Below, we have college basketball odds, a prediction and pick for Colgate vs Illinois on Sunday, Dec. 17.
Illinois has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the young season thus far in college basketball. The Fighting Illini have won seven of their first nine games and appear to be one of the most complete teams in college basketball this season.
With depth, physicality and experience, there's not much this team can't do.
The Illini will take on the Colgate Raiders on Sunday, and while most fans would expect an easy Illinois victory, there might be more to the story here. Colgate enters this one with six wins in 10 contests, and its strengths map well with keeping games closer than they should be against better competition.
This is the first game Illinois has suited up for in over a week, so it'll be well-rested coming into this one. The Illini play Missouri in a rivalry game after this one, so concerns of a lookahead spot may be warranted.
Colgate Raiders
If you're looking to pull a big upset, two of the best things you can do are limit possessions and shoot well from outside.
Luckily for Colgate, it has that formula down. The Raiders play extremely slow (301st in the country in tempo) and make 35% of their shots from outside as a team (93rd).
The star of the show for Colgate is sophomore guard Braeden Smith — no, not Purdue's Braden Smith. This Smith has been sensational to start the season, scoring in double figures in nine of 10 games already. He stacks up rebounds and assists as well and is a threat to approach a triple-double in any given game.
Smith poses an interesting matchup for Illinois, given that the Illini don't have a traditional backcourt. They'll need to guard Smith with a larger wing, which could cause problems for the Illini defense on the perimeter.
Illinois Fighting Illini
That might be the only problem for the Illini defense in this game though, as Illinois boasts the top-ranked 2P% defense in the entire country.
The Illini are tough, deep and athletic at all five positions. Coleman Hawkins anchors the defense down low, but they have multiple guys that can play anywhere from one through five.
Terrence Shannon Jr. has taken another step forward as a do-it-all superstar. There aren't many players as unstoppable as Shannon when he gets going downhill. He has to play on the ball more than you would like — since the Illini don't have a true point guard — but that hasn't hurt the team thus far.
The one big question for Illinois is still outside shooting. As a team, Brad Underwood's squad only makes 32% of its attempts from deep. That ranks 213th in all of college basketball. The Illini are prone to a cold shooting night every now and then, and if that happens in this game, Colgate could surprise them.
Colgate vs. Illinois
Betting Pick & Prediction
We've seen plenty of favorites fall victim to large spreads during exam week.
With Colgate's ability to limit possessions and make shots from the outside, I like the underdog to cover in this spot, thanks to a superstar performance from Smith against the Illini wings.
Pick: Colgate +16
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